Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was one of the five beaches assaulted by the Allied Powers during Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944. The US Army was responsible for the landings at the 5-mile-long Omaha Beach, assisted by warships from the United Kingdom, Canada, and France, and 43,250 inexperienced American troops landed on the beach. The landings were botched, and German fortifications and resistance were stronger than expected; the American troops suffered heavy losses during the landings. Two small isolated footholds had been held by the US troops by the end of 6 June 1944, and the US forces eventually linked up after taking the beaches and the nearby towns. Despite suffering heavy losses, the Americans emerged from Omaha Beach and began to break out of the Normandy beachheads, starting the Liberation of France.